


Midnight Turtledoves

by Nanashi Jones (miaoujones)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Crushes, Doomed Relationship, F/M, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-19
Updated: 2007-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaoujones/pseuds/Nanashi%20Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Thing is," Renji says, "that captain is way out of her league. Whereas you're right here."</p><p>"And not out of her league," Kira says drily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnight Turtledoves

When he realizes that Renji is not just talking but is saying his name and has been saying it, Kira turns to him guiltily. Their eyes meet briefly before Renji shifts his gaze to where Kira's has been lingering. "Why don't you just ask her out?"

Kira shakes his head. "She already has someone she likes." But he looks again anyhow, just in time to see Hinamori tilt her head back in laughter at something one of the girls she is sitting with has said. 

"So?" Renji interrupts Kira's sigh. "I have someone I like and you don't see me rejecting confessions, do you?"

Kira does, in fact, know of more than one confession that Renji has refused. It's mostly first-years who find themselves turned down, which Renji no doubt would explain away as a preference for more experienced women, leaving aside the complications of accepting a confession from one of Rukia's classmates. But it's also true that Kira has seen girls leaving Renji's room, so he takes the point and makes a different argument: "Hinamori isn't like you."

Renji makes a non-committal sound. "Thing is," he says, "that captain is way out of her league." There's a flicker of something, an unhappy self-awareness that Kira is too polite to acknowledge and that Renji pushes aside in favor of concentrating on Kira. "Whereas you're right here."

"And not out of her league," Kira says drily.

"No, man, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying she just needs to _know_ you're here. You see what I'm saying? You need to spend time with her."

And how's that working out for you? Kira thinks, but bites down on the aggressively defensive words before they can leave his tongue. 

"Come on." Renji punches him in the shoulder and gets to his feet. "Let's go get something to eat."

Kira keeps his eyes focused straight ahead as they pass the group of girls, still laughing. Too late, he is aware of Renji slowing and turning his head. 

"Hey, Hinamori! We're going for ramen! You should come with us!"

Before Kira can apologize on Renji's behalf, Hinamori is waving and smiling and turning to say something to her friends, who nod. When she joins them on the path, Kira is half-expecting Renji to find an excuse to switch sides with him so that Kira will be in the middle, but Renji turns to her and strikes up a conversation as they walk to the noodle shop.

When they arrive, Kira starts to take a seat at the bar as they usually do but Renji suggests they take a table instead. They've just started eating when Renji pauses, chopsticks hovering in the air half-way between the bowl and his mouth. "Hey, isn't that guy in the Eleventh?"

Following the general direction of Renji's eyeline, Kira sees two men on the far side of the bar: one with a shaved head and rough demeanor, the other immaculately ostentatious in appearance. He recognizes them vaguely, enough to tell Renji, "They both are." 

"Right. Who's the bald one?"

Kira doesn't know his name but Hinamori says, "I think that's Madarame Ikkaku."

"Madarame," Renji repeats. "I have to go talk to that guy." He pushes his chair back and goes off without another word, taking his bowl with him.

"Abarai is very forward, isn't he?" Hinamori observes as they watch him introduce himself to the two shinigami. 

"Yes," Kira agrees.

It occurs to him that Hinamori may also be referring to the shouted invitation to food but once again he misses the chance to apologize as she continues, "It's very admirable that he's looking ahead like this, already determining which squad he wants to be in and working toward it. Don't you think?"

"I think he's doing it to impress a girl." Kira didn't mean to speak aloud but when Hinamori looks at him so openly and with that curious arch to her brow, he feels obligated to go on. "There's someone he likes. I think he wants to get stronger, as strong as he can get, to impress her."

"I see." Hinamori tilts her head thoughtfully as she looks at Renji again. "It's not strength alone that impresses a girl," she says, returning her attention to her food. "Maybe you should tell him that, before he goes too far down that path."

"Yes," Kira says, feeling that he may have missed something in her statement but not wanting to risk losing points with her by asking her to elaborate. Instead, he lets the noodles dangling from his chopsticks hold his attention.

"What about you?" Kira switches his gaze to her as she says, "Have you thought about which squad you'd like to join?"

Since she was so impressed by Renji's foresight, or at least her perception of it, Kira doesn't want to admit that he hasn't thought about it himself. He follows the noodles with a long swallow of beer. "I want to be wherever I can best serve Soul Society. I trust the captains to make that judgment." He feels uncomfortably warm in her gaze but fights the impulse to take another sip of his drink.

Instead of calling him out on his hastily composed answer, she smiles and says, "That is a worthy aspiration." 

Kira smiles too and, as she raises her glass to her mouth, he takes that sip he has been longing for. 

Then, even though he already knows the answer, he asks, "And you?"

"I want to serve in the Fifth," she says, quiet but unwavering. She offers no explanation or elaboration and Kira asks for none.

Conversation for the rest of the meal turns to the classes they share at the Academy and the ones they're looking forward to next year. Just as they are finishing up, Renji reappears. "Hey, those guys are going drinking and they've invited us along."

"That sounds fun," Hinamori says, and Kira swallows his own disinclination in favor of echoing her.

When they walk in the bar, one of the shinigami—not Madarame but the pretty one, whose name Kira still doesn't know—introduces them as "the first years who stood with Hisagi Shuuhei in that attack during field training last month!" 

There's cheering and back-slapping from an already inebriated crowd, followed by a steady flow of drinks to their table; with a smile to himself, Kira recognizes the motivation for the invitation now. Renji is tossing back drinks like they're water, as are Madarame and his friend; Kira knows he can't keep up with that but he does his best not to humiliate himself, at least.

When Hinamori stands to say good night, something digs into Kira's side so sharply that he jumps to his own feet. He can feel all eyes turn to him but it's Hinamori's gaze he returns; Kira doesn't have to look to know that Renji is smirking into his drink. 

Kira saves the moment in the first way that comes to mind: "I'll walk you home. If you like," he adds, careful to allow her an out.

"Thank you, Kira." She smiles and he uses up some reiatsu controlling the blush he feels burn his ears and the back of his neck.

There is nothing remarkable about the night, nothing to comment upon, so they fall into silence. The silence turns out not to be awkward and as they walk along in comfortable wordlessness, Kira is glad he didn't ruin it with banal observations about the weather.

His eyes stray to Hinamori and as his gaze lingers furtively, he wonders if there might not be something extraordinary about this night air, after all. He wonders if it is his imagination or if she really does look more beautiful lit like this by the stars and moon. 

"Hinamori."

She looks over in response, waiting for him to go on. When he doesn't, she says without impatience, "Yes?"

"Are you drunk?"

"No." She smiles. "You probably didn't notice, but I started pushing my drinks into the collections you and Renji were accumulating. I thought you'd get more enjoyment from them than I would."

Kira feels a warm pleasure rise to his skin at her thoughtfulness; at her thoughtfulness for _him_. "I think _I'm_ drunk."

She laughs. "I'm not surprised!"

"I." Kira stops walking. He doesn't just think it. He _knows_ he is drunk. He knows he could still stop himself, though. Could still stop his own words.

Hinamori has taken an extra step before realizing he has come to a halt. Now she turns to face him on the path. It's not just the celestial plays of light, it's not just the sake-enhanced blood coursing through him: she really is beautiful. Even sober and in daylight, Kira thinks so—though of course, sober and in daylight, he can't tell her.

A shadow passes over the moon, transiently darkening the night even more. "I," Kira says again when the moon shimmers out from behind the cloud; this time he pushes himself past the hitch: "like you, Hinamori." She doesn't respond, so Kira says it again, softer and without the pause: "I really like you."

She still doesn't say anything but at least she hasn't looked away. Kira is about to say that he knows she has someone else she likes already, that he is not expecting anything out of this confession—but then instead of taking the expected step back, she takes one closer. Kira tilts his head down so he can keep looking at her, her face tipped up and looking at him.

"Kiss me."

Kira doesn't need to be asked twice. Her lips are soft, warm, supple against him. Conscious that his lips are moving against her in kind, Kira wonders how he feels to her. Suddenly worried his lips aren't wet enough, he moves back, parting just enough to moisten them. His tongue inadvertently flicks against her lips; she opens her mouth and presses it to his again, this time inviting and welcoming his tongue, wet muscles caressing and curling around each other, each inhale sucking the breath from the other.

"My oh my, Cap'n—ain't this adventitious, coming on a pair of turtledoves cooing at midnight like this?"

The kiss broken, Kira is aware of Hinamori's hands sliding from his shoulders. He lets his own hands fall to his side as the top seated officers of the Fifth Division approach along the path.

"Don't embarrass them now," Captain Aizen admonishes his lieutenant. 

"My apologies," Lieutenant Ichimaru says, though it's not clear to whom his words are directed. "It were such a pretty sight, I couldn't keep my eyes or my tongue to myself." 

Hinamori starts to stammer out an apology but Aizen hushes her with a palm laid upon her head as he passes; the hand halts her words but does nothing to quiet her blush, which flares wildly. "Young love has nothing to apologize for." 

Again, Hinamori starts to say something; this time it is the captain's smile that stops her. 

Nevertheless, Kira hears the protest in the unspoken words.

He can't tell whether Lieutenant Ichimaru heard it as well or if the lieutenant is merely responding to the kiss he interrupted but, either way, something in the smile he gives Kira as he passes makes Kira's own blush deepen.

Kira and Hinamori remain silent and motionless in the Fifth Division's wake. Then Hinamori turns to Kira, and he doesn't remember seeing her step away at any point, but the distance is there now. 

"Shall I walk you the rest of the way?" he asks.

"Yes."

They resume walking in silence. 

Kira casts a glance up at the night sky. "Half-moon tonight," he observes. 

Hinamori glances up, too. "Yes." 

And on down the path they go.


End file.
